Hollywood Reacts to Deaths of George A. Romero and Martin Landau

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The entertainment industry lost not one, but two influential icons over the weekend with the passings of Night of the Living Dead creator George A. Romero and Oscar winner Martin Landau.

Both entertainers touched the world in different capacities and through different genres. Following the news of their deaths, celebrities shared their love and appreciation for their timeless work.

George A. Romero: 1940-2017

Romero died in his sleep following a battle with lung cancer, according to a statement from his manager, Chris Roe. He was 77.

“Legendary filmmaker George A. Romero passed away on Sunday July 16, listening to the score of ‘The Quiet Man,’ one of his all-time favorite films, with his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero at his side,” the statement read.

“He died peacefully in his sleep, following a brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer, and leaves behind a loving family, many friends, and a filmmaking legacy that has endured, and will continue to endure, the test of time.”

Much of the success of TV series such as The Walking Dead and movies like Shaun of the Dead are due in large part to Romero.

His 1968 black and white zombie cult classic, Night of the Living Dead, made $30 million. Not bad, considering it was shot in Pittsburgh on a budget of $114,000.

A decade later Romero returned to zombie fare with Dawn of the Dead, which made $55 million. He followed it with Day of the Dead in 1985 then resurrected the franchise with three more films in the late 2000s.

His impact on the horror genre reached countless people throughout his six decades of work including author and friend Stephen King who tweeted: “there will never be another like you.”

Sad to hear my favorite collaborator–and good old friend–George Romero has died. George, there will never be another like you.

Fellow directors sending love included Guardians of the Galaxy‘s James Gunn (who also wrote a lengthy appreciation on Facebook), Guillermo del Toro, Rob Zombie, Shaun of the Dead’‘s Edgar Wright, as well as Get Out helmer Jordan Peele and Eli Roth who both praised Romero’s groundbreaking casting of a black hero in Night of the Living Dead.

Romero used genre to confront racism 50 years ago. He always had diverse casts, with Duane Jones as the heroic star of NOTLD.

Martin Landau: 1928-2017

Landau, 89, passed away on Saturday, July 15 at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles following “unexpected complications during a short hospitalization,” according to his publicist Dick Guttman.

“We are overcome with sadness,” added Guttman.

Arguably one of the busiest actors in Hollywood history, Landau’s career began in 1953 and continued right up until his death where he was involved with two projects currently pre-production.

In the 1960s he was part of the spy team on the TV series Mission: Impossible. His role as master of disguise Rollin Hand earned him a Golden Globe for lead actor in 1968.

Two decades later he earned his first two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Francis Ford Coppola’s Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) and Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989).

But it was his portrayal of aging horror star Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood that finally earned him actings top prize as he took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 1995 Oscars. His co-star in that film, Patricia Arquette, remembered him on Sunday calling him a “talented, sweet generous actor.”

Arquette wasn’t the only celebrity paying homage as stars such as Alec Baldwin, Avengers director Joss Whedon, Stranger Things actor David Harbour, Marlee Matlin, William Shatner and more celebrated his life and catalog of work which also included a memorable turn as a movie producer on the HBO series Entourage.

Had the honor of working w/ Martin Landau on Entourage years ago. Hes the definition of what a great actor is. Hes Given masterpieces 2 us.

Ironically it appears that both Landau and Romero briefly worked together as comedian Patton Oswalt pointed out on Twitter. Romero worked as a page boy on Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, which starred Landau.